To:  All Breed Club Secretaries and members of GD Breed Council: 05/02/08

Subject: Great Dane Breed Standard

The following response was received from the Kennel Club today regarding our recommendations to make changes to the Breed Standard.

 
The wording of the KC letter states:.....

At its recent meeting the Committee discussed the request from the Great Dane Breed Council to separate the "mantle" description within the colour clause of the Breed Standard from the "black" colour option.  It was noted that the mantle description had been included in 2006 following detailed consideration by the Breed Standards Sub-Committee and the General Committee, and the Council had agreed to the exact wording and placement of the mantle description upon its approval at the time.  Furthermore, the FCI standard included "mantle" as part of the black colour description.   The Committee did not approve the request.

It was noted that the Breed Council had also highlighted a typographical error, whereby the phrase "nails perfectly dark" had been included.  The Committee amended this as follows.

Blacks
a) Black is black
In all above colours white is only permissible on chest and feet, but it is not desirable even there. Nose always black, except in blues and harlequins. Eyes and nails preferably dark.

b) Mantle: Black and white with a solid, black blanket extending over the body.  Ideally -black skull with white muzzle, white blaze optional, whole white collar preferred, a white chest, white on part or whole of the forelegs and hindlegs, white tipped black tail. Nose always black, eyes and nails preferably dark.

Harlequins: pure white underground with preferably all black patches or all blue patches, having appearance of being torn.  Light nails permissible.  In harlequins, wall eyes, pink noses, or butterfly noses permissible but not desirable.

Letter signed by Caroline Hallet - Registered Societies Manager